for some of you who take the time to read my blog or listen to me spout my many opinions you know that i struggle sometimes with the christian family bookstore. it's a tender love-hate relationship. (for review check out is your book male or female) once again i find myself at this dear store perplexed by what i find or what i find lacking.
you see i was in need of a sappy i'm sorry card. as usual my mouth got the best of me and i found that this week i had perhaps not expressed myself in the kindest, most patient or grace-giving way. i need a card to say hey i screwed this up. i'm sorry. you know the basic i am in need of forgiveness do you happen to have any laying around?
so i browsed the card section. there were cards of sympathy. for weddings and new babies. for pastor appreciation. to say thanks and i love you. to encourage and to wish you no more sickness. miss you and congratulations and graduation. it was all there. and if you wanted a truly spiritual card you can find one in each of those categories. there were verses abounding on cards for every possible emotion - love, joy, congrats, death.
except one. forgiveness. now maybe it's just me but it strikes me quite odd that at a christian bookstore there are no cards to help you express the need for forgiveness. no cards to help you make amends, bridge the gap, make peace, extend an olive branch.
the very name - christian (well it is now family bookstore but we know what they sell inside - christian "stuff") - on the doors is a testimony to forgiveness. a synonym if you will. Christ came because we were in need of forgiveness. we were in need and still are of confession. the bible tells us to confess our sins to God and to one another. Jesus told us to leave our gifts at the altar and go make amends with our brother before doing anything else. there is scripture galore about mercy and love and forgiveness and grace and bearing the burdens and weaknesses of others. and verses about family and unity and fellowship. all of which require the grace to live with others who will need forgiveness. who will need to express an occasional (or if you're me, frequent) i'm sorry.
but we provide no cards with beautifully scrolled verses to remind the receiver of such a card of God's grace, mercy, love and forgiveness. no card with a tribute to God's calling us to live as a family and as a body, as a unit. no reminder that to do that is to be in need of forgiveness and to need to offer forgiveness.
of all belief groups in the world christians should be the most transparent. (disclaimer: a goal i have yet to accomplish or come close to. in fact one i personally would prefer to not attain at times. my crap should be just that. my crap.) the community as God intended requires that i allow others into my life and i seek to be in the lives of others. and this is dirty work. and it gets muddled in the process. but there can be something beautiful in that mess. (think the wonder of making dirt pies as a kid - what joy!) this is especially true when we can offer forgiveness and when we can seek it from one another.
God's mercy. Christ's grace. it's never more seen than when we offer it to one another as often as is needed. for all users of forgiveness. occasional or frequent.
which is why there needs to be a section, maybe it should be the biggest section, of hey i'm sorry. got this thing all goofed up again. let's try again.
you see i was in need of a sappy i'm sorry card. as usual my mouth got the best of me and i found that this week i had perhaps not expressed myself in the kindest, most patient or grace-giving way. i need a card to say hey i screwed this up. i'm sorry. you know the basic i am in need of forgiveness do you happen to have any laying around?
so i browsed the card section. there were cards of sympathy. for weddings and new babies. for pastor appreciation. to say thanks and i love you. to encourage and to wish you no more sickness. miss you and congratulations and graduation. it was all there. and if you wanted a truly spiritual card you can find one in each of those categories. there were verses abounding on cards for every possible emotion - love, joy, congrats, death.
except one. forgiveness. now maybe it's just me but it strikes me quite odd that at a christian bookstore there are no cards to help you express the need for forgiveness. no cards to help you make amends, bridge the gap, make peace, extend an olive branch.
the very name - christian (well it is now family bookstore but we know what they sell inside - christian "stuff") - on the doors is a testimony to forgiveness. a synonym if you will. Christ came because we were in need of forgiveness. we were in need and still are of confession. the bible tells us to confess our sins to God and to one another. Jesus told us to leave our gifts at the altar and go make amends with our brother before doing anything else. there is scripture galore about mercy and love and forgiveness and grace and bearing the burdens and weaknesses of others. and verses about family and unity and fellowship. all of which require the grace to live with others who will need forgiveness. who will need to express an occasional (or if you're me, frequent) i'm sorry.
but we provide no cards with beautifully scrolled verses to remind the receiver of such a card of God's grace, mercy, love and forgiveness. no card with a tribute to God's calling us to live as a family and as a body, as a unit. no reminder that to do that is to be in need of forgiveness and to need to offer forgiveness.
of all belief groups in the world christians should be the most transparent. (disclaimer: a goal i have yet to accomplish or come close to. in fact one i personally would prefer to not attain at times. my crap should be just that. my crap.) the community as God intended requires that i allow others into my life and i seek to be in the lives of others. and this is dirty work. and it gets muddled in the process. but there can be something beautiful in that mess. (think the wonder of making dirt pies as a kid - what joy!) this is especially true when we can offer forgiveness and when we can seek it from one another.
God's mercy. Christ's grace. it's never more seen than when we offer it to one another as often as is needed. for all users of forgiveness. occasional or frequent.
which is why there needs to be a section, maybe it should be the biggest section, of hey i'm sorry. got this thing all goofed up again. let's try again.
